CHAPLAINCY PRESENTATION: THE USES OF LIVE HARP MUSIC FOR HEALING
Lynne C. Davis, LMHC, LMFT, CMP, Harpist, spoke on the healing and comforting effects of harp
music for the ill and their families at a Chaplaincy-sponsored presentation on December 5th.
Lynne C. Davis is a psychotherapist in private practice in Amherst, MA. She specializes in bereavement counseling
and support services, and provides services to hospice agencies in her area. As a CMP (Certified Music Practitioner),
she provides comfort and care to sick or dying patients and their families through the use of live therapeutic harp
music. She views live harp music as a "complementary therapy and powerful therapeutic intervention in the field
of healthcare" and a "direct connection to our spirits."
Ms. Davis' interest in bereavement therapy and therapeutic harp music began with the death of her father.
During her grieving process, she watched a video that documented the healing and calming ability harp music
could have on people. The video had such a profound and positive impact on her, that she found a teacher
and a used harp, and learned how to play. She studied the techniques for playing therapeutic music and
eventually became certified as a Music Practitioner.
She then played for us, asking us to close our eyes and relax. After she played, some members of the audience
claimed to have felt the "transformative" nature of the harp, that the harp "transported" them "to another
dimension." Some felt their breathing slow down, their breaths become deeper, their entire bodies relax into
their seats, and their bodies vibrate with the strings of the harp. Ms. Davis remarked that the results experienced
by our audience members were common. Typical reactions of patients are stabilized and slower heart rates, slow
and regular breathing, and apparent relaxation of muscles (lowering of shoulders, unclenching of fists, etc.).
When Ms. Davis plays for an ill or dying patient particularly in a Hospice-type of situation, she runs through a
simple protocol to attune herself to the patient and vice versa. First, she introduces herself to the patient,
whether they are conscious or not, and explains the service she provides. Next, she begins to play with a series
of "runs" up and down the scales of each chord, to determine which notes and keys relax and appeal to the patient.
When playing specifically for a dying patient, she tends to play arhythmically, in lower registers, and in
unrecognizable melodies. She does this to help the patient let go of the "rhythm of life" and any patterns
within the music they might recognize and find distracting. When playing for a patient who is ill, but not dying,
the music she plays may be more rhythmic, familiar, enlivened, and in higher ranges, to give the patient a sense
of nostalgia, and a stronger connection to the rhythm of life.
Ms. Davis and the author corresponded via email concerning the contents of this article. Below is an excerpt
from one correspondence, detailing a recent experience here at MGH, where her harp playing had a profound effect.
It is important to note that music, no matter how it is created and amplified, has a healing effect.
Live music can be particularly advantageous due to the ability of the musician to respond to a patient's
needs and because the sound of a live instrument vibrates and the vibrations are of a greater range than
can be captured on a recording. Part of the theory of how music helps heal is by synchronizing or otherwise
effecting a person's own vibrations. The advantages to recorded music are that there is a much more culturally
diverse and generally wide selection of music available in a library of recordings than in the mind of one
musician. Please note that Chaplaincy has a library of diverse recordings and videos that can be used by
patients. Please contact the Chaplaincy at 726-2220 for further information. Lynne Davis reminded us that
we always have access to live music through our voices, a harp is not the only mode of musical healing.
If one can speak, sing, or even hum, one has the power to provide therapeutic music.
Lynne Davis has been featured in other articles (which will soon be available through the CRC) and has a CD
of harp music currently in process. She can be reached at The Bereavement Center, 37 S. Pleasant Street,
Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 256-1100 or via email at lcdavis@crocker.com.
Special thanks to Lynne C. Davis for her assistance with this article.
I had the privilege of playing for a patient in your hospital ICU right after the training.
A mother heard me tuning up my harp in the ICU waiting room and asked if I might play for her young son.
Even though time after time I have seen the effectiveness of the live harp music, every time I see it I
continue to be in awe of the power of harp sound. The young mother watched her son's heart monitors while
I was playing and noticed his heart rate drop significantly to a more normal rhythm (I believe she said
from 114 to 100). He went from agitated to a peaceful calm and then slowly to nap. I also noticed the nurse
resting in the doorway to the room, leaning on the door post, taking a restful moment, and the desk staff
and doctors who peeked in commented on the beauty and calm. Some day I hope to find funding for a staff
position that allows me to be hospital based, wandering from ICU, to pre-op, to neonatal, to oncology
waiting room, to hospice floors etc., bringing the benefit and healing of live harp music.
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